Creation, Tradition, Rebellion
by PrincessYuki123
Summary: First fanfic! Rated K Plus, JIC. The new girl at school has a mysterious past and seems to know a little too much about the Sohmas. Origin of the curse, secrets revealed and more. Sounds interesting, no? More than a few references to Joss Whedon's Firefly
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! This is my first fanfic ever! Woohoo!**

**It's set around the time period of the anime, rather than near the end/after the manga (mainly because I'm only up to volume 16 of the manga). **

**I have a vague idea where this story is gonna go, but I'm still not sure about pairings because I am both a YukixTohru and a KyoxTohru fan (she says, under the penname PrincessYuki123). However, I can assure you that Yuki will NOT end up with Machi. **

**Sorry about the start being nothing to do with Furuba lol.**

**I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, I would be making a second series instead of writing fanfics.**

* * *

She sat there, perched on the cheap cushion, dreading the inevitable betrayal of her cousin.

She was _not _meant to buy herself anything. It was a rule. She was already far too selfish, dragging her entire family down with the shame of being associated to her.

The betrayal was far more sudden than even she expected. Her mother's voice and light footsteps could be heard in the corridor. Muffled speech, a faint "oh" and, of course, that sigh. That innocent-sounding sigh that clearly meant her mother was the victim; the "I don't know why she does these things, what else _can _I do?" sigh. Then, her cousin's bouncy, childlike steps tapped away down towards the main building.

_Here it comes._

The slide of the door. The slow, sinister steps. The "I don't know why you do these things, what else _can _I do?" sigh.

_Pain._

* * *

_No, no, no! NOT AGAIN!_

Sadly, Kyo's mental desperation did nothing to prevent the imminent eruption of laughter and mockery from his classmates.

"Aww, is little orange-top the poor man again? That's just _too _sad for words".  
_That arrogant…_"Who are you calling little, yankee?"

Yuki turned to Tohru, who was (as usual) smiling away and oblivious to the fact that they were _arguing, _not _hugging.  
_"There they go again, I just wish Kyo had enough intelligence to come up with a decent comeback." Kyo pretended not to hear that remark. It was bad enough losing that stupid card game, without losing another fight with Yuki in front of Tohru again.

"What's wrong orange-top? Cat got your tongue?" _Dammit! I was thinking about beating Yuki, not beating that Yankee!  
_"No, I was just thinking how great it would be to drown you in a lake"  
"You just wanna see me in a wet t-shirt"  
"Uh, on second thought, go drown yourself"  
_Why does that sound familiar…oh, no, no, no!_

Yuki smiled to himself. Kyo was _not _looking forward to the consequences of using one of Yuki's comebacks in his presence.

The door slid open as Saki returned after some kind of meeting with the faculty.  
"Interesting waves."  
"They always are in this environment."

Silence fell as the girls entered the room and sat down.

_There's TWO of them?!?! _

Kyo was _not _in the mood for this. Well, at least the comeback might be forgotten.

* * *

**Yeah, another character. Big whoop. Lol **

**Please review. I don't care about flames, at least they mean that SOMEONE read the story D**

**Obviously, I'd rather have constructive criticism than flames, though.**

**I shall try to update soon, if I get reviews. Mainly because I don't see the point in continuing if no one cares enough about the story to review lol.**

**Um…that's it for now I guess. Thanks for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to everyone who reviewed my last chapter, I honestly thought that no one would bother lol**

**I've realized while writing this that I've included a few references to Firefly in it lol. Any fans of the show might spot another in this chapter.**

**I don't own Fruits Basket. If I did, I would make sure more merchandise was available in the UK.**

The class was over, not that anyone remembered which subject it was or what they were supposed to have learnt. Everyone was thinking about that new girl. She hadn't said a thing since she had sat down, but then again no one had.

The bell rang and most of the class got up and went their separate ways for lunch, whispering and gossiping as they dispersed. As Tohru reached the door, she stopped and turned to face the two classmates who had opted to remain still, Saki and The New Girl. This caused Kyo to bump into her slightly as he tried to escape the room. Yuki and Arisa were also forced to a halt.

"Are you two coming? I'd really like to get to know you...um...uh..." She panicked in usual Tohru fashion and began babbling uncontrollably. "Oh I'm sorry! I don't even know your name! I must seem really rude, to not even bother asking I mean..."  
"I don't have one"

Blank faces.

Saki came to the rescue: "We and the faculty settled on Mumei, for the time being anyway."  
_Nameless?  
_Mumei virtually whispered as she spoke "Yes, Nameless. I don't blame them for being unoriginal. I don't have much of a personality to base a name on; I'm not exactly talkative, either."  
"That's OK", this came from Tohru, "I'm sure you'll feel right at home here."

Tohru was determined to make Mumei feel at home. She was already trying to come up with a nickname, like Hana and Uo. _Mu?__ No, "Six" isn't exactly fitting for a nickname. _This task was proving a challenge. _She's such a pretty girl; she looks kind of old for this class, though. About 18, I think._

Mumei did look old for her age. She was of average height, with pale, porcelain skin; sleek, chestnut hair and bright, soulful emerald eyes that seemed far too wise for a teenager. She had a sense of unease about her, though: she was sat, upright and unmoving; her vivid eyes flicking between faces; jumping sharply at any sudden noises or movements. She seemed...paranoid.

_I'm still stuck on a nickname though. She probably doesn't have a family name either..._

"So, my full name is Mumei Hisakawa." By this time, the six of them had left the school building and were now headed for a spot on the grass under a tree. _How did she..._Tohru was stunned for a moment, but soon got over it.  
"Hisakawa? So, can I call you Kawa?"  
Mumei blushed slightly. "You want to give me a nickname?"

Arisa smiled as she remembered how she got her nickname "Sure, Saki and I each have a nickname, Hana and Uo. Kyoko came up wi-" She thought better of mentioning Kyoko at a time when everyone was so cheerful. However, they had all heard the start of her sentence and a desolate silence ensued.

"'River' is a wonderful nickname" Yuki smiled, which improved Tohru's spirits immensely.

Kawa's eyes widened and she stared, stock still, at Yuki as if she had only just noticed his seemingly terrifying presence. She was breathing heavily and Tohru began to wonder if she suffered from asthma. "Are you alright, Miss Hisakawa?" Yuki sounded as worried as Tohru and as scared as Kawa.  
"I knew it..." that whisper again.  
"Miss Hisakawa?"  
"I felt it..."  
"Miss Hisa-"  
"Rat." She hissed.

She tensed up even more, if that was possible, as Yuki, Kyo and Tohru shared a brief glance.

Kawa whipped around to face Kyo. "So you must be-" She fainted. Her slender, limp body collapsed and fell slowly...onto Kyo's lap. Kyo slipped out of the way in time to grab the girl's bag and put it in his place, as Tohru panicked and practically yelled that she, Hana and Uo should get help.

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**I tried to make this chapter longer, but I think I failed lol.**

**Please leave reviews, criticism is appreciated!**


	3. Chapter 3

**So...straight to the chapter, then?**

* * *

She woke suddenly to find Yuki and Kyo staring at her.

"What happened? Where's Tohru, Saki, Arisa?" All hints of shyness had left her voice and her second question was more of a yell.  
"Calm down already, you just fainted is all" Kyo leaned backwards slightly, apparently no longer interested.  
"For how long? Oh no, did I…am I…did anything, um, happen?" Her flicking eyes were now almost bouncing between Yuki, Kyo and looking down at herself.  
"No, you just fainted."  
"Why are you-" she got cut off by the girls returning with a teacher, simultaneously asking her questions.  
"I'm okay, I was just…shocked." she glanced at Kyo, with a hint of a smile on her face.

* * *

30 minutes later…

Kawa had gone home, after everyone had begged her to, just in case she was ill. Tohru was the one who had convinced her in the end.

Back in class, "That New Girl" was the topic of all discussion. Everyone had their own opinions and theories regarding why she had arrived and left so suddenly. Of course, the Prince Yuki Fan Club had the strongest views, so their version of the story was the most widely accepted one. Well, either it was because of their passionate opinions, or their formidable status.

"I hear she's one of Saki Hanajima's witch friends."  
"Uh-uh. She's one of Uotani's comrades"  
"Either way, she's here to conduct some kind of research"  
"Ooh, into what?"  
"Prince Yuki, duh. He's only _the most important _person in the entire school"  
"Why conduct research though? Surely just meeting him would provide all the info you'd ever need."  
"They wanna trick him into going out with that witch Tohru Honda"  
"Oh my gosh, why?"  
"They're evil, why not?"

"What I can't figure out is why she called you a rat" Uo sighed as she lazily leaned back in her chair.  
"Yes, there seemed more of a reason behind it than just flustered ramblings, like she said." Hanajima agreed.  
"When'd she say that?"  
"Yes, so much more." Hana continued her previous thought.  
"Maybe she just saw a rat behind Yuki" chirped Tohru.  
"I don't think that's it, Tohru" Uo laughed.

As trivial as the incident was, it consumed Yuki's mind. Amongst the chatter and chaos of his classmates, the prince just stared off into space.

After school, Tohru said her goodbyes to her friends and set off home with Yuki and Kyo on either side of her. While they were in a silent, reflective mood, she was merrily gazing at all the birds flying over her head. Obviously not looking where she was going, she tripped over some kind of fabric lying on the ground. The boys snapped out of their moods in order to stop her falling, help her up and see her run towards the edge of the path.

"Aww, you're a cute little cat, aren't you? Are you hurt?" She reached for the feline, only for it to hiss and back away. Remembering a side effect of the curse, she turned to Kyo.  
"Kyo, aren't cats drawn to you because of the curse? Do you think you could check to make sure she's OK?"

Never one to say "no" to Tohru, Kyo (reluctantly, as he tried to make it look) moved to crouch next to her and reach out towards the cat. At this, surprisingly, it hissed again and lurched to one side before staggering deep into the undergrowth.

_Well, isn't this just the best day ever?_

Understandably, everyone remained silent for the rest of the walk back.

* * *

**Sorry, that wasn't exactly literary genius... it was mostly speech, but that's the only way I could really move the story along. I may or may not rewrite this at some point...**

**Review pretty please!**

**I will try my best to make the next chapter better. I really will.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hmm...I think I put a bit too much pressure on myself when I said "****I will try my best to make the next chapter better. I really will.****" Lol**

**Sorry if it isn't very good! At least this way I'll get some critical reviews that show me how to improve...maybe.**

**I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, I would be trying to earn more profits from it in some way.**

* * *

_Yuki sat, perched on his toes and straining his calf muscles, dreading the inevitable._

_He knew this routine; he had had enough experience of it in the past. Akito was going to come in for one of his regular "visits" and let Yuki know exactly what he was worth. As if he didn't already know. _

_The door slid open and in came Akito, mighty and grand, who sauntered over and stood over Yuki. He waited for the young boy to look up at him and then tousled his hair a bit._

_"Hello Yuki. I came by for a little chat."_

Yuki woke with a start. It had been a few months since the recurring nightmare had seemingly passed away, but clearly it had been resurrected. It had plagued him for three nights in a row now.

_Ever since Miss Hisakawa arrived._

He sluggishly rolled out of bed and dragged himself downstairs. It was early, but there was no way he was going to get back to sleep.

A few hours later, after sitting in the kitchen staring at nothing in particular, Yuki greeted Tohru as she entered the room. She bounded in and headed straight for whatever ingredients she needed to make whatever she had planned for breakfast.

It was then that Kyo decided to make his less-than-grand appearance. Sweaty and panting from his morning practice, he dragged his feet along the floor and slumped into a chair. His messy hair and flushed cheeks complimented each other in colour. Without saying a word, he joined Yuki in staring into space. He too had been out of character recently.

_What was up with that cat? Does this mean that the curse is weakening? _

He doubted it. He was going to have to live with his curse and those beads for a long time yet.

At school, everything seemed to be getting back to normal. The class was getting used to Kawa's presence, although there were still plenty of rumours.

"I hear she's related to the psychic."  
"No, she's related to the Yankee"  
"Nah, all three are related."  
"No, they're lesbians...and they're related."  
"WHAT?"  
"Kidding."  
"You watch too much hentai."

Kawa hadn't spoken more than a few words since her first day and simply got on with her work. She remained apparently oblivious to the gossip and the put-downs going on around her. According to her classmates, she looked too old. She had probably been kept down for a few years in school and that's why she was working so hard, to try and keep up. She was probably used to getting teased about being stupid, which is why she always stayed away from other people.

She remained close to Tohru though and she exchanged regular glances with Hana. Arisa didn't seem too bad in Kawa's eyes either, but she refused point blank to even look at the Sohmas. This just threw them into more of a state.

_The silence is creepy too. Why does she keep looking at me like that? Is it my imagination? __This m__ust be what going mad feels like._

No one had any idea what Kawa herself was going through at that time, though.

* * *

**[Insert usual review begging here**

**Sorry about not updating in a while (won't make excuses, I'm sure you've heard them all before)...and sorry if this chapter seems short lol.**

**To be honest, when I started this fanfic, I knew how it was going to start and how it was going to end. I knew roughly what was going to happen in the middle, including some major events. The only problem I have now is making progress in the story, moving it along and joining up those events lol. I have no clue what I'm gonna do for the next chapter...guess I'll have to wait and see like the rest of you!**


	5. Chapter 5

**[Insert usual garbage about being sorry about one thing or another here**

**Wow, two chapters in one day. I hope this can make up for my long absence lol. **

**I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, I would ****be busy singing for joy.**

* * *

It had been a bad day, but she knew it was going to get worse.

Let's total up all the bad things she had done today:  
Didn't sleep until 5 am  
Didn't wake up on time  
Was late for school  
Troubled the teachers and that nice girl by making them attend a meeting  
Disrupted her classmates  
Hadn't made an effort to at least act like a normal human being.  
Had made a fuss at lunch.  
Gave up and left early like a loser on her first day.  
Was going to be late home.

It wasn't her fault that she had panicked on the way home from school. It was no secret that she was terrified about her mother's punishments. As she picked up her seifuku blouse from the path she felt tempted to just not go back there. However, she knew her mother would track her down. Her mother was not the type of person to allow the family's main embarrassment to escape easily.

Kawa didn't blame her mother for treating her the way she did. She was an awful daughter and could only make situations worse. She often wondered how her grandmother coped; _was she hated too? Was she as much of an embarrassment? What did __mother think of her?_

If only she knew.

Surprisingly (and for the first time in her life), her mother was not her main concern. She had always dreamt of the day she would meet him, if she even got the chance. It was her destiny to be with him, she knew that. It was the only way to become a better person, to deserve to be alive. Unfortunately, however, she had not expected to meet him today. She had messed it up, ruined her chances and been an embarrassment again.

When she walked into the classroom that day, she had felt the heat of an argument, the hyped-up energy of her classmates and...something else. She couldn't quite place it; it was new to her. A feeling of loneliness, of not belonging, of being different which she couldn't put her finger on. It was only at lunchtime that it had hit her and she realised why they stood out.

They were Sohmas.

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**[Insert usual review begging here**

**OMG! She knows the Sohmas...hmm...interesting. **

**I know it's short. I just wanted to get into Kawa's character just a ****lil**** bit more. ****Wow. That sounded like "author" talk. LOL.**

**Yeah, not much else to say so...until next time folks. Not sure when that will be. I've been very busy with schoolwork etc (excuses, excuses lol) and this is my half term break. My 17****th**** birthday is next week (yay!) so I'll also have driving lessons (Argh!/Woohoo!) to worry about lol.**


	6. Chapter 6

****

Umm...hi again, everyone.

**I'm trying to avoid French homework (this is very normal for me) and so I have decided to attempt the next chapter! Woohoo! **

**I think this is the right time in the story for this chapter, at least I hope so 'cos I have nothing else to write! There may be spoilers, probably from volume 17. I don't know yet. Just be warned.**

**I know for a fact that I'll be almost completely making this chapter up (um...isn't that the case with all fanfics?). It has pretty much nothing to do (plot-wise) with the actual anime/manga. I may throw in some stuff I found on the internet about the end of the manga, but I haven't read the last volumes so I don't know much about it. I just needed this for my story to make sense lol. **

**I hope that last paragraph made sense... if it didn't, then it might if you read the chapter first lol.**

**I don't own Fruits Basket. If I did, I wouldn't bother with French (or education in general) at all. I'd already have my career sorted!**

* * *

_Kawa knew the story too well. She retold it to herself each night anyway..._

Kohaku was popular among fellow members of the Sohma family. He was especially popular with the head of the family, which was a good position to be in- given the almost god-like power he had. The two, along with several other Sohmas, had vowed to remain close in order to maintain the high-ranking status of their influential family.

It was somehow inevitable that he would fall out of favour eventually. This time came when he met Hotaru. She was beautiful, graceful and unique, but was well-known as a witch. This, obviously, meant that she was not ideal company for someone like him.

Against the odds and the Sohmas' wishes, they fell in love. Kohaku, for the first time in his life, felt the need to become independent and question why the family should be so devoted. He broke away, leaving the main house and spending more time with Hotaru. She was terrified for his safety and begged him to at least talk to his relatives. He just smiled at her; she was always looking out for him.

The day came when the couple decided to marry. This angered the "God" of the Sohmas, who, along with the other close members of the family, tracked Kohaku down. The family members surrounded them and looked on as Kohaku was attacked. It was brutal; the family had genuinely begun to believe that Kohaku was inferior to them, a lesser being that was required to suffer. Only one attempted to stop the fighting- Isamu, the young man who had replaced Kohaku as the favourite. He reached out to pull him from the circle, an act which Kohaku misjudged as pity and shrugged off.

After the beating, the arrogant head of the family taunted the barely-conscious Kohaku. Isamu had left, only to return now with Hotaru by his side. She cried about the hatred and jealousy that they had welcomed, that had controlled their actions.

It was like the story of God and the zodiac banquet, she said. They were all too concerned with getting there first, being the best, that they were willing to forget morality. She cursed them, allowed the spirits of the zodiac animals to share their bodies, the zodiac they resembled so much. They would remain together, no matter how many times they need to be reborn, until both sides realised their mistakes and learned from them. The Sohmas were not concerned and left without truly understanding what she meant. They later discovered that she had prevented them from ever being close to another, like she and Kohaku had been. Isamu was also (unjustly) cursed, he took the form of the rat, in keeping with his closeness to "God".

What Hotaru did not realise was that both she and Kohaku were to be included in the curse, too. Kohaku, the outsider, became a cat and, due to his rage at the treatment he received, he lived almost permanently as the beast his family imagined him as. Hotaru was always haunted by and a part of the curse she created out of resentment and anger.

Kohaku, ashamed of his appearance and devastated that Hotaru had been hurt while trying to help him, ran and hid in part of the Sohma estate, which was to become his home. They never saw each other again. Hotaru, however, still wished to lessen his suffering and so created a bracelet to keep him in human form. No one is sure how Kohaku eventually received it, as he refused to acknowledge Hotaru.

Obviously, the Sohmas were intent to put an end to the curse. Hotaru's family also wanted to help to end the pain of whichever member inherited it each time. So, many solutions and traditions were born. The cat would never be banished again. He would remain in the Sohma estate, near the head of the family. Over time, the Sohmas came to believe that finding love with anyone would lift the cat's (and their) curse. The other family took the opposite view. "Hotaru" would have to find "Kohaku", for only those two could truly end it.

The cat has always borne a grudge against the rat for pitying him. The rat always seemed better, had managed to remain close to God when the cat couldn't. The rat shared similar views, towards the cat, and felt that he could never live up to the same standards as he had set. He believed that, had the cat not been deserted, he would never have been able to become so important to "God".

_Kawa had inherited her curse from her grandmother, who had died on the same day she was born. It was more common for the curse to be passed from mother to daughter, but it had skipped generations before (even being inherited by a great or great great granddaughter). She had always dreamed of meeting him, of fulfilling her fate and lifting the curse from all who suffered because of it. In spite of this, she'd never been prepared. She had had no idea what to do when she met him. She had messed it up. Typical. She really was a curse._

_

* * *

_**Names:**

**Kohaku- **(male and female name) means "amber" in Japanese. I used this name because it was included in the film Spirited Away, another of my obsessions. (Kohaku river!)

**Hotaru- **Means "firefly"...I think this is a bad habit.

**Isamu- **Means "courage". There were a lot of names I could have chosen for this character. I don't really know why I picked this one lol.

**OK, that was bad. I'm sure I could have done soooooooo much better on that, but I just had way too many ideas to include. I hope I remembered it all; it's kinda been in my head for a while and I've been adding little pieces to it now and again. I'm sure I'll go to reference it later on and realise that I missed something really important lol.**

**That was a major part of the story...I tried to keep it short because otherwise it would have been a novel in itself...Some other details of (my version of) the curse's history will be revealed in later chapters, hopefully.**

**Please review. Tell me if I made a mistake with the names, or if you liked/hated my lil story. Whatever you think I should have done/not done, tell me! It's what reviews are for! **

**Thanks for putting up with that badly written chapter.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey...**

**This is becoming less and less like a fanfic...now it's pretty much about Kawa, with the Fruits Basket characters thrown in here and there. Don't worry- the characters we all love will (hopefully) make a comeback in this chapter!**

**This one is either going to be very fun or very hard for me to write. I asked my friend (Jenny-kun!) to name a character and now I'm gonna write the chapter from that POV. So, prepare for a glimpse into the mind of...Shigure! **

**I do not own Fruits Basket. If I did, I would be suing all you writers for copyright infringement. **

* * *

"Well, she's definitely...unique. I'll give her that." I reported to Hatori. He was concerned, quite understandably, since Akito had heard about Kawa.  
"I'll cut to the chase Shigure, because otherwise I'll never get a straight answer from you. Do you think she may find out?"  
"It's possible. She does spend a lot of time with our Tohru. The two have bonded, it's so sweet!"  
"Sweet?"  
"Ha'ri! Two high school girls being so fond of each other is very...sweet."  
"No wonder Akito threw you out of his house again."

My first meeting with Kawa was interesting to say the least. Like I told Ha'ri, she and Tohru had become very close. That, of course, makes perfect sense- Tohru being so cute an' all. Kyo and Yuki were being mean and cynical as usual, but that day I was enthusiastic; who wouldn't be if they knew they were going to meet yet another pretty high school girl?

Tohru had asked the day before if her friends could come over to watch a DVD. I was cautious as usual, but after some persuasion (namely, Tohru saying "please"), I said it was OK. It's just lovely how Tohru still feels the need to ask about things like that. I mean, this is her home as much as it is ours now, yet she's still so careful to remain polite. That's why I love Tohru as a person- so gentle and understanding of others...the exact opposite of me! I'm under no illusions- I know I'm an awful person sometimes, especially to Akito, but that's just my way. Plus, I'm sure my scheming and cruel nature will have a point in the end. Just like Tohru's kindness will eventually win a man's heart (I'm pretty sure that's happened already, but that's another story!).

Anyway...I really should get back to Kawa. Oh, the troubles which creative minds, such as mine, suffer! We, or rather I, can never quite stay on topic!

She came over with "the yankee and the psychic" as Kyo calls them. She seemed terrified...to the point where even I felt sorry for her. Eventually they all settled down to watch the DVD. I'm quite surprised that Kisa and Momiji didn't turn up...they would normally jump at the chance to sit with Tohru.

Being the gracious host that I am, I offered everyone snacks. When I approached Kawa, she locked her gaze with mine and growled! I have never heard anything like it; it was so perfectly clear. At once I recognised the meaning; by instinct-she was a very scared, very anxious individual who was likely to attack at any moment. Naturally, I retreated.

"That's alright" I said, as cheerfully as possible "I'm sure you're just nervous. You've had to get used to a whole new school, new friends and then some weirdo tries to invade your personal space." I smiled, quite pathetically I imagine.

She hesitated before she replied. It was the first time she'd spoken and her voice was so quiet. "How...How can there be so much love in a house which is mostly inhabited by such...distant people?" Then she glanced at Yuki, Kyo and myself.  
"I think we have our Tohru to thank for that! Bringing light into our dreary lives and, through just being herself, made everything in our lives, especially the kitchen, sparkle! Oh, she's such an angel, just last week I ..." I was still speaking as Kawa looked over at Tohru and smiled.  
"Of course"  
"OH! What a cute smile! I don't know where Tohru finds such great friends who are kind enough to grace us with their presence! I mean, the-"  
"You really are a dog" she half-laughed.

That, I must say, shocked me. She just shifted her gaze back to the DVD and blanked out everything else. This was when Arisa realised she had to go to work.  
"Hey, you" she said, meaning Saki "weren't you supposed to be looking after Megumi this afternoon?"  
"Oh, yes. How terrible of me to forget. I'm afraid this means we must leave when we have barely arrived."  
"That's quite alright" I reassured her "Tohru, why don't you see them off at the door?" Needless to say she agreed and on her way back she walked past the laundry room.

She squealed in her usual fashion "Oh no! I forgot to do the wash! I can't just leave it, but I can't just leave Kawa either!"  
"That's OK, you go ahead Tohru. I'll keep Kawa company!" Kyo and Yuki shot me a look at this point. They really don't trust me, so they joined us in front of the TV.

"I...I'm sorry to be a burden" Kawa said, returning to her half-whisper.  
"No, you should feel free to stay here whenever, you're very welcome!" Kyo and Yuki exchanged glances. "Oh, it seems you two are only ever united when you're against me! It's so ter-"  
"Shut up!" they yelled together.

They continued to complain about me for some time. Eventually Tohru finished the wash and sat down too. The rest of the day was pretty uneventful. Oh, except when my editor came round. That was fun.

* * *

**Ugh. That was bad. I tried to make it as cheerful and perverted-sounding as possible, but I didn't really pull it off, did I?**

**This is probably the longest I've spent working on a chapter. It's turned out even worse than the last one! I mean... (Continues self-criticism)**

**(Insert usual review begging here)**

**Thanks for putting up with me! (Insert big smile here)**


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